Improving Governance Improving Schools

1. Improving GovernanceImproving Schools Improving your governing body to improve your school: Messages from Research Chris James University of Bath c.james@bath.ac.uk

2. Improving your governing body to improve your school • The wider context for governing • Academies and free schools • Collaboration pressures • The changing role of the local authority • Teaching schools • Funding changes • Curriculum and assessment changes • Changes to inspection

3. Improving your governing body to improve your school • School governing and change • The governing of a school is always changing. • The context for governing is often changing. • Schools are ‘fragile’ institutions. • The importance of well-managed collective governing.

4. Improving your governing body to improve your school • School governing: • is important • can be complicated, demanding and difficult • is usually done well • is a voluntary activity. • School governors give an enormous amount, yet their contribution is hidden.

5. Improving your governing body to improve your school Governing body effectiveness • About 80-85% of GBs are effective. • The lack of a capable GB is a substantial disadvantage for a school. • The effect of vacancies on GB effectiveness is small. • No consistent relationship between GB size and effectiveness.

6. Improving your governing body to improve your school • Effective governing bodies: • have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities • share a common vision of what the school is trying to achieve • are well-attended • have good communication • work to clearly structured agenda • are effectively chaired • have meetings where members feel able to speak their minds • are supplied with good quality, • relevant information.

7. Improving your governing body to improve your school Ineffective governing bodies tend not to: • challenge the headteacher • monitor plans and targets • scrutinise decisions • ensure the accountability of the governing body.

8. Improving your governing body to improve your school • The governing of primary schools and secondary schools • They are different • They have different effects on pupil attainment • Size, complexity, closeness and contact are important factors. • Know what you’re governing

9. Improving your governing body to improve your school The nature of governing • Critical friend? • Supporter? • Challenger? • User of data? • Scrutiniser? Strategic collective scrutiny is important “Are we doing the right thing?”

10. Improving your governing body to improve your school The governing task • Being responsible for the conduct of the school. • Make sure the GB is clear what its task is. • Ensuring a secure understanding of the task when there are changes to GB membership is important. • Don’t get diverted from the main task – projects, initiatives; structures; whingeing; squabbles . . . .

11. Improving your governing body to improve your school The capabilities required • Having the right skills and capabilities is very important • The significance of the core group • Skills audits can be very useful • Training and development are important

12. Improving your governing body to improve your school The capabilities required • The in-school presence/involvement of governors is important can be very helpful in developing governing capability • The link governor role • Inter-personal relational skills are very important

13. Improving your governing body to improve your school The capabilities required • Expertise in understanding pupil performance data can be very helpful. • Keep a close eye on performance – especially ‘within-school variation’. • Governing is a development activity in its own right It’s important to learn about governing and through governing.

14. Improving your governing body to improve your school Participation • Is important and difficult to manage. • The jargon can be difficult. • The issues can be complex. • Newcomers may need time to settle in. Ensuring full and appropriate participation is essential.

15. Improving your governing body to improve your school Different contributions • The role of the local authority governor is unclear and can be unsatisfactory. • Local councillors make a mixed contribution • Staff governors make a mixed contribution but it is typically beneficial.

16. Improving your governing body to improve your school Governing body organisation • The committees • The core group • The meetings • The clerk It’s important to be organised.

17. Improving your governing body to improve your school Important aspects • The full governing body meetings are important but so are all the other ‘meetings’. • The task of appointing a new headteacher can be particularly important and difficult – Get ready!

18. Improving your governing body to improve your school The motivators and the dissatisfiers in school governing • School governing touches very significant motivations and it can be highly satisfying • Governance agency • Aspects of it can be irritating and dissatisfying Maximise motivators and governance agency. Minimise the dissatisfiers.

19. Improving your governing body to improve your school The Chair - legally a very significant role and responsibility • Governing bodies are responsible for the conduct of schools in England. • “The governing body must elect a chair”. • The role carries specific legal responsibilities. • The Chair has considerable emergency powers to act alone.

20. Improving your governing body to improve your school The Chair - in practice a very significant role and responsibility • A substantial undertaking requiring considerable capability. • A considerable time commitment. • Very challenging and extremely rewarding. • Chairs - considerable motivation and very high level vision for the role.

21. Improving your governing body to improve your school Being a governor • Chairs are governors and members of the governing body. • Chairs carry a share of the governing body’s collective responsibility for the conduct of the school. • The ‘lead governor’ aspect of the role.

22. Improving your governing body to improve your school Appointing the headteacher • A relatively infrequent event but a very significant moment. • One of the more worthwhile aspects of the role. Working with the headteacher • A close, productive working relationship is important. • It brings considerable benefits. • A pivotal relationship in governance. • Extensive joint working.

23. Improving your governing body to improve your school Acting as a change agent • A good chair can change the school and the governing body for the better. • Involvement in change management - important and worthwhile. • The chair can be particularly significant in times of ‘crisis’. • The ‘reluctant chair’ can be damaging and impede improvement efforts.

24. Improving your governing body to improve your school Active participation in the school • Participating actively in the work of the school is a significant. • Participation – a range of ways for various purposes. • The in-school presence/involvement is significant and can be substantial.

25. Improving your governing body to improve your school Organising the governing body A key aspect of the role: • improving functioning • ensuring a collective way of working • being the lead expert in school governing.

26. Improving your governing body to improve your school Dealing with complaints • Can be significant (esp. parents’ complaints). • Unjustified complaints . . . . . • Protracted complaints . . . . .

27. Improving your governing body to improve your school Working with parents • A positive and not so positive aspect. • Managing relationships between school/staff and parents. • Working with parent governors can be challenging. • Can make the role isolating and ‘public’. Chairing meetings • A minor part of the role but quite a task.

28. Improving your governing body to improve your school The Chair-Headteacher relationship • Overall, relations between Chairs and Heads are strong – respect and investment on both sides. • Chairs and Heads differ in their views on the frequency and length of interactions (Chairs more frequent and longer). • Heads accept that the Chairs has to challenge them, Chairs do not have such a positive view. • Heads say that they are open with the Chairs, Chairs do not have such a positive view.

29. Improving your governing body to improve your school Important aspects of Chairs’ practice • Heads and Chairs agree on what is important. • ‘Leadership/group management skills (such as ‘supporting effective teamwork’ and ‘managing differences of opinion) are prioritised over functional skills (such as Finance and HRM). • The important skills are in ‘managing the group’ to ensure collective functioning. • Heads say that they are open with the Chairs, Chairs do not have such a positive view.

30. Improving your governing body to improve your school The role of the Chair: • is a complex, demanding and multi-faceted responsibility – yet hidden from view • can powerfully impact on schools and their governing bodies • involves boundary work - between the school and the governing body – and increasingly between their own and other governing bodies • is likely to increase in importance in the future • is “a significant educational and community leadership responsibility”.